Leslie has lost 12 pounds since March. She has fully embraced a love for fitness. Heartbreak led to a re-evaluation of life choices and a determination to focus on lifestyle change, not just for herself but also for her son. She is currently training for her second half-marathon. Check out her story.
I have been on this weight lose journey for years. I would lose the weight then gain it right back. I always loved working out but my eating habits haven’t always been consistent. April 2016 is when I really decided to regain my focus. In the beginning, for about the first month, I did struggle with eating. However, once I started noticing a change in my body I decided to go full force. The picture with the blue shirt on is from March 2016, when I ran my first half-marathon and the picture with the white shirt is from July 2016.
What was your motivation?
My motivation has come from many things. For example, I didn’t like the way I looked when I was undressed. I didn’t make this change for anyone else but myself. I wanted to live a longer life. I never had any health issues, other than high cholesterol as a child. My cholesterol has been under control since I’ve been an adult. My goal is to keep it under control and not have any other health issues.
I constantly worked out but was never seeing any progress because my eating habits were bad. I also went through a bad heartbreak that put me in a place in my life that I didn’t like being in. I no longer wanted to revolve my life around a man, but instead around me and my son.
I also started noticing my son was gaining weight, even though he is very active in sports. I constantly bought un-healthy snacks and he started picking up weight. I didn’t want an un-healthy lifestyle for him.
On the days I wanted to give up I would look at the sticky notes I posted in my bedroom. I post inspirational post-it notes to keep me going in life so no matter where I walk in my room I will see one. Also, once I started seeing results, I knew I couldn’t turn back because I knew I’d come to far to mess up or go back to that lifestyle.
How did you change your eating habits?
I have a weakness for chips and cakes. They had been my downfall. I stopped eating bread, using condiments, fried food, carryout/fast food, cheese. I started eating more fruits and vegetables. For my drinks, I only drink water because I love water. It was never a problem for me to drink it.
I started using a meal replacement for breakfast and dinner to help with my cravings. I used Herbalife protein shakes and I don’t endorse products unless I’ve actually used them and saw that it helped me. I begin substituting two meals a day with the shakes and they really helped.
What was your workout routine?
At first, I would only workout 3-4 days a week. Eventually, my working out became my passion and a great stress reliever when I needed one. I took my workouts to 5-6 days a week. I have been running since April 2015, and now I am in the process of training for my second half-marathon, so I incorporate a lot more running in my workouts. If I am in the gym, I use the stair climber and various weights to give help me strengthen and tone.
I also started working with a personal trainer who has helped and inspired me a lot. She has taught me a lot of different workouts I can do on my own. With her inspiration, I decided to do a 30 day workout challenge with my Facebook and Instagram friends, to get everyone else onboard with this healthy living lifestyle.
Starting weight/Current weight
In March 2016, I weighed around 205 pounds and I felt it. As of July 2016, I weigh 193 pounds. 5. I am 5’11”. I have been on and off with this journey for years but really started taking it serious in mid-April. After 6 weeks of using meal replacement shakes, eating healthy, and working out alone and with my trainer, I started seeing the weight coming off and started seeing myself tone. I try to stay off the scale but every now and then I will get on there.
What is your advice for other people who want to lose weight?
My advice to those struggling with staying on track or even getting started is don’t give up. The weight didn’t come on overnight so it will not come off overnight. It takes time, dedication, being honest with yourself, eating healthy, knowing what works for you and what doesn’t work for you and trusting the process. You don’t want a “microwave” weight loss process, because it never works.
My weight loss journey has inspired me to help others who need that push to get started and stay on the journey. I am currently studying to be a group fitness instructor and once I pass that test I will start studying to be a personal trainer. My goal is to work with overweight children and get them started early on this process, because obesity is a major problem in this country. I also would like to work with student athletes to help them train for whatever sports they may play.
Instagram: @lesliec80
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